Django is a full-featured, batteries-included framework with built-in ORM, admin panel, and authentication, while Flask is a lightweight microframework that requires manual integration of third-party libraries. Django suits large, complex projects; Flask excels for simple applications and APIs.
Django vs Flask — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Python web framework emphasizing rapid development, clean code, and batteries-included features with built-in admin.
Lightweight Python web microframework for building web applications with minimal overhead.
Framework Type. Built-in Features. Learning Curve (hours for beginner). Lines of Code for basic CRUD app. Community Size (Stack Overflow questions). Default Template Engine. Production deployment complexity
Choose Django if you're building medium-to-large web applications, need rapid development with built-in features, and prefer convention-over-configuration. Choose Flask if you're creating microservices, simple APIs, lightweight applications, or need maximum flexibility and control over your architecture.
Django: 500K packages | Flask: 300,000+ (PyPI)
Django: Yes (auto-generated) | Flask: N/A
Django: Partial (optional, requires setup) | Flask: N/A
Django: Excellent (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn) | Flask: N/A
Django: Yes, auto-generated | Flask: N/A
Django: Django ORM (included) | Flask: None (use SQLAlchemy separately)
Django: Auto-generated from models | Flask: Requires manual or third-party setup
Django: 1,200 thousand | Flask: 850 thousand
Django: 3,800 thousand | Flask: 1,200 thousand
Django: Yes (user model, permissions, groups) | Flask: No (use Flask-Login or similar)
Django: Yes (Django ORM with migrations) | Flask: N/A
Django: Auto-generated included | Flask: N/A
Development Speed (Median Project Timeline)
Django: Yes (Django Admin fully featured) | Flask: N/A
Django: 3,000-5,000 | Flask: ~75 (baseline with Gunicorn 4 workers)
Django: No (requires external frameworks) | Flask: N/A
Request Throughput (req/sec, hello-world)
Django: Not applicable (Python package) | Flask: N/A
Django: Yes, with Django-allauth extension | Flask: N/A
Django: ~2,500 contributors | Flask: N/A
Django: 16 years (since 2008) | Flask: N/A
Django: Partial (Django 3.1+) | Flask: N/A
Django: Optional (via packages) | Flask: No, manual setup required
Django: 80,000+ stars | Flask: 67,300+ stars
Django: Automatic (requires 1-2 lines of code) | Flask: N/A
Django: 3.5M+ tagged questions | Flask: N/A
Django: 500-800 lines (average CRUD app) | Flask: N/A
Django: NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow, Keras, Scikit-learn, PyTorch (native) | Flask: N/A
Django: 45,000+ annual Django positions | Flask: N/A
Django: N/A | Flask: Manual integration required
Django: N/A | Flask: Experimental in Flask 2.0+
Django: N/A | Flask: No, requires add-ons
Django: N/A | Flask: Python 2.7+ (legacy) / 3.4+
Django: N/A | Flask: Extension required (Flask-SocketIO)
Django: N/A | Flask: Native (NumPy, TensorFlow, Pandas)
Django: N/A | Flask: Via SQLAlchemy extension
Django: N/A | Flask: Yes (Werkzeug-based)
Average Community Response Time (GitHub Issues)
Django: N/A | Flask: ~150,000+ PyPI packages
Django: N/A | Flask: Native: NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch
Django: N/A | Flask: No - requires WSGI server (Gunicorn, uWSGI)
Django: N/A | Flask: 350 lines (with extras)
Third-party Packages Required (typical CRUD)
Django: N/A | Flask: 6/10 (more decisions)
Job Market Demand (LinkedIn postings 2026)
Django: N/A | Flask: Requires Flask-APScheduler or manual async setup
Django: N/A | Flask: Manual (requires Flask-RESTX, Flasgger)
Django: N/A | Flask: ~90,000 Flask-compatible packages
Django: N/A | Flask: Requires external WSGI server
Django vs Flask — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Django vs Flask. Contains 154 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Django vs Flask — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Django vs Flask.
Which framework is better for beginners?
Flask is better for absolute beginners due to its smaller scope and simpler learning curve (8-15 hours vs 40-60 hours). However, if you're willing to invest time upfront, Django's guided structure actually accelerates learning for building complete applications.
Yes. Django REST Framework (DRF) is a powerful, production-ready toolkit for building REST APIs with Django. It adds serializers, viewsets, and permissions. However, Flask is often considered more natural for APIs due to its minimalism.
Is Flask suitable for large-scale applications?
Flask can scale, but Django is better suited structurally. Large Flask apps require careful architecture planning and significant custom tooling that Django provides by default. Pinterest and Dropbox use Flask at scale, but they invested heavily in custom infrastructure.
How do database migrations work in each?
Django has built-in migration system (django-admin makemigrations/migrate) that automatically tracks schema changes. Flask doesn't include migrations—you typically use Alembic with SQLAlchemy, which requires more manual setup but offers greater control.
Django has more comprehensive official documentation (800+ pages) with detailed guides. Flask documentation is concise but sometimes requires consulting community resources. Both are excellent, but Django wins for step-by-step tutorials.
Framework Type: Django has Full-featured monolithic framework, while Flask has Lightweight microframework.
Built-in Features: Django has ORM, admin panel, authentication, migrations, forms, templating, while Flask has Core routing and request handling only.
Consider: Learning Curve (hours for beginner)
Learning Curve (hours for beginner): Django has 40-60 hours, while Flask has 8-15 hours.
Consider: Lines of Code for basic CRUD app
Lines of Code for basic CRUD app: Django has 150-200 lines, while Flask has 300-400 lines.
Consider: Community Size (Stack Overflow questions)
Community Size (Stack Overflow questions): Django has 382,000+ questions, while Flask has 78,000+ questions.
Default Template Engine: Django has Django Template Language (DTL), while Flask has Jinja2.
Consider: Production deployment complexity
Production deployment complexity: Django has Medium (guided conventions), while Flask has Higher (more manual setup required).